In the Belly of the Beast
by YoungJules
Summary: The events between Lemonhope's escape from the Lemongrab Earldom and the eventual final battle between the Boy and the Earl. All feedback is appreciated.
1. Chapter 1

**~Prologue~**

_Diary of Lemongrab II, Entry 1_

_~Nearly a fortnight has passed since my once dear brother savagely devoured my lower half, along with a portion of my head. The incident had occurred over a relatively small disagreement. Very trivial, now that I pause to give it thought. Strange, the way a lemon can exude such rage over such simple things, like how to play with a doll properly. Of course, I have always understood my brother's fury… the only one to truly understand him, I suppose, for that is what I was made to do._

_But now, it is how deeply I understand my brother that makes me fear him so much. His rage, it goes so much deeper than mine...~_

"SUBJECTS! Help me out of my chair!" commanded the Earl of Lemongrab. He had been putting on quite a bit of weight, most of it due to swallowing the legs of his twin. Frantically, a team of lemons hurried to their leader and lifted the earl from his throne. Swatting them away with a grunt, he dusted himself off and began his daily walk (some would call it a waddle) through the palace halls. His brother, Lemongrab 2, hovered a few feet behind him.

"So, my brother, I see that your new hovering device is working quite well. I hope you find it acceptable?" the fat lemon asked.

"Y-yes. Acceptable."

"Good. I want to see you using it tomorrow night when Mother Princess comes to visit us. She will be very pleased to see how quickly our technology has advanced in the Earldom."

The half-eaten lemon is barely listening, something else is on his mind.

"Brother… I do hope you will forgive my asking…" Lemongrab 2 nervously begins. "But… have you noticed that our children have been behaving… different?"

"Different?" Lemongrab 1 asked. "What do you mean?"

"Well, brother, they seem to be quite intimidated. Especially around yo- err, around _us_. I fear that our recent industrialization projects may have taken a toll on their spirits."

"Nonsense, brother. the Earldom is finally a sophisticated society. Our people should rejoice in that fact. Those who are malcontent are only holding us back, dear brother! They deserve nothing better than the DUNGEON!"

Lemongrab 2 realized suddenly that he had touched a nerve with his brother, and instantly felt a hot wave of dread rush down his spine. However, against his better judgement, he ventures further.

"B-brother, is the dungeon really the answer to everything? Don't you think that your methods of discipline are rather… harsh?"

The earl's eyes widened with anger as he turns to face his floating twin. "Harsh?! HARSH?! I'll tell you what's harsh, my brother! Harsh is being rejected by the person who gave you life, simply because she does not _understand_, being forced to spend all your days in complete solitude! Yes, I was very alone before your creation brother, and you have never known that loneliness! You will never understand!"

"But I do understand!" protested Lemongrab 2.

"No! You may be _like_ me, brother, but you are not me. I have been shaped by years of pain and solitude. You have known only love and acceptance since your creation. _My_ love and acceptance!"

Lemongrab 2 hung his head. His brother was right. The floating lemon was suddenly filled with shame.

"Maybe, dear brother…" Lemongrab 1 continued, narrowing his gaze at his hovering sibling, "That is why you are soft. Maybe, that is why _**I**_ am the true Earl of Lemongrab."

The fat lemon turned away from his companion once again, and resumed his walk. "Now that we have an understanding, make sure the subjects are making the palace look good for Mother Princess's visit. It is an evening that none of us will soon forget!

~**Aaaand, there we go. The next chapter will be out soon. Please review, all feedback is appreciated. Muchas gracias.~**


	2. Chapter 2

**Part 2: Lemons United**

_Diary of Lemongrab II_

_Belly of the Beast_

_Day 1_

_ The eve of Mother Princess's visit went… unexpectedly. It is unclear to me yet what will come of tonight's events, but I can only hope that good will ultimately prevail. _

_ I felt a great burst of courage tonight, and I acted on it. My actions, I'm afraid, had a great price. I have now been entirely consumed by my brother, and I write this from the depths of his massive paunch. It is dark in here, and I can barely see this paper before my eyes. I feel quite cramped and uncomfortable, but not even these damp stomach walls can dampen my spirit, which now burns for the freedom of my children, for I believe with all of my lemony heart that our champion Lemonhope will some day return for us. For now, I can do nothing but wait, and hope that I am right._

_ However, at the moment, I fear for my subjects. They are for the time at the mercy of the Earl, with much to answer for…_

"UNACCEPTABLE! UNACCEPTABLE!" The Earl of Lemongrab screamed, as his three former prisoners fade into the distance away from the Earldom. The lemon people cheered, dancing in the streets and shouting with joy in their newfound hope. However, all grew silent at their master's furious gaze. Feelings of joy quickly turned into feelings of terror as they all wondered what might happen next.

"You insignificant, disobedient, un-ACCEPTABLE lemons!" The Earl begins, his subjects cowering. "How dare you defy me! I am the law!"

All was silent for a moment. Then, one of the more courageous lemons speaks up.

"We aren't afraid of you. We are lemons united! Lemon need not squeeze lemon in order to survive!" he turns to the crowd. "Remember Lemonhope! Remember Lemongrab Two!"

The whole crowd bursts into a chant. "Remember Lemonhope! Remember Two! Remember Lemonhope! Remember Two!"

"ENOUGH!" Lemongrab shouts. "This rebellion will not staaaand! Lemonguards, seize them all!"

A legion of tall, armored lemons swarms out from the palace and onto the crowd, subduing the insurgency before it could ever take place. Shock collars were promptly forced around the necks of the rebellious lemon people as they were forcefully escorted back to their homes.

"There will be some changes around here!" The Earl announced from his balcony. "Curfew will be set for sundown! Labor will increase ten-fold! All lemons will be watched over at all times by Lemonguards! If any lemon disobeys or tries to escape, they will be sentenced to the DUNGEON! OR EATEN!"

Exhausted, Lemongrab decided to retire for the night. He will As he lay in bed, the words of his brother echoed in his head.

"_Lemon need not squeeze lemon to survive…"_

What if he was right?

"Hmph. Soft thinking…" He mumbled assuringly to himself as he drifted off into sleep.

His stomach growls.


	3. Chapter 3

_**~~Thanks for the positive reviews so far fellas. I'm glad y'all enjoy it so far. Please keep the reviews flowing, and if you have some constructive criticism please throw it at me, I'm happy to learn from ya. Also, I know I said in the summary that this would all be from Lemongrab 2's POV, but I feel like that's really restricting the expansion of the story. So I'll be adding other POVs to keep the plot rolling the way I have it down in my head. If ya gots a problem with it then I'll sock ya in tha kissah. Enjoy the story!~~**_

**Part 3: Stay Young, Go Dancing**

_Diary of Lemongrab II_

_Belly of the Beast_

_Day 15_

_This is the second day of my second week of imprisonment. I am still confined to the darkness of my brother's stomach. It is a wonder that I have not been digested, yet I am not complaining. I have attempted escape on more than one occasion, but have been thwarted with each try. I am unsure of what my next move will be… but I will think of something. My brother has lost what few scraps of sanity he had left, and my poor lemon children have become the victims of his madness. The dungeons are over-crowded with lemons guilty of such violations as blowing their nose without permission. It is at this point I am not entirely certain that Glob has not forsaken us. The lemons seem to have lost the hope they had been given the night of Lemonhope's escape. Most believe that I am dead._

_I, however, have not lost hope. At this moment, Mother Princess is keeping Lemonhope safe in her kingdom, teaching him and making him strong. Some day, perhaps, my dear lemons will be free. As for myself, I do not know._

Lemongrab 2 woke up in the middle of the night. Well, what he assumed to be night, as he could feel the vibrations of his brother's deep snoring against the stomach walls. It was hard to tell, as it was always dark in his little organic prison. He sighed deeply, and shifted around a bit to get comfortable. Needless to say, comfort was relative these days. Finally, he felt himself drifting back to sleep, which had been difficult as of late. Before he knew it, he was fast asleep… and he began to dream…

L-2 dreamed that he was walking through a dark grey tunnel. Wait… walking? Yes, he looked down and there were indeed legs underneath him. Elated by this, he began to skip jovially through the tunnel, giggling like a school-lemon. His burst of euphoria fizzled quickly when he heard a quiet thud from behind him. He froze in place. Another thud followed. Another. Another. A little louder each time. Slowly, he turned to face what terror might be waiting for him behind his back.

"Lemonhope!" Lemongrab cried, happy to see the young boy staring up at him innocently. Still, something seemed… off.

"L-Lemonhope?" He repeated.

Suddenly, the child's amiable expression turned into one of bitter hatred. The child mumbled something under his breath.

"W-What? What did you say?" Lemongrab demanded.

"unaccaptable…" the child hissed, barely above a whisper.

Then, Lemonhope's eyes grew wide with anger. His body began to expand, the hair fell from his head, and he began to screech in an unholy growling voice.

"UNACCEPTABLE! UNNNACCEPTABBBLEEE!" All at once the image of Lemonhope was replaced by a monstrous visage of the Earl of Lemongrab.

Lemongrab 2, filled with horror and disgust, stumbled back and ran the opposite direction through the tunnel. He could hear the demonic beast of his brother stomping after him, dreadfully close behind. Soon, L-2 came face to face with a red door at the end of the colorless tunnel. He pounded on the door.

No answer.

"Unacceptable! UNACCEPTABLE!" The Dream-Earl's voice drew rapidly nearer.

Lemongrab, in a frenzy of fear, pounded on the door with all his might. Finally, he watched in desperate anticipation as the doorknob began to turn. But then, his brother's meaty hand snatched the back of his shirt and ripped him away from the door

Lemonhope awoke in a cold sweat, screaming. He'd again had the recurring dream about the red door. However, it was somehow… different this time, as if there was something very urgent on the other side. The knocking was more frantic than usual, which was partial cause for his distress. Still breathing heavily, he wiped the sweat from his brow with his pajama sleeve. It wass still night, he noticed, looking out his window. He could see that there were no candy people about, save for the occasional banana guard on patrol. _No use trying to go back to sleep now, _he thought to himself. He sat upright, grabbed his blanket, and made his way to the bathroom for a glass of water.

"That dream," Lemonhope thought aloud. "Could it have some sort of meaning?"

Still shaken from his nightmare, Lemonhope quietly tiptoes across the hall and cracks open the door of Princess Bubblegum's room. The sliver of light from the hallway makes the Princess stir. Groggily, she turns on the lamp on her nightstand and puts on her glasses.

"Lemonhope? What are you doing out of bed? It's three in the morning dude."

Lemonhope shifted his stance awkwardly in the doorway.

"I- I know Princess… but…"

"But what?" She asked, a little more awake now due to concern.

Lemonhope looked down at his feet, and clutched his blanket tighter. "I had that dream again, Princess. Can I… can I sleep in here with you again?"

The princess sighed. "I'm sorry buddy, but don't you think you'd feel better if you laid back down in your own bed?"

"No. I wanna stay in your bed."

Bubblegum let out another irritated sigh, then looked back at the child and gave a smile in defeat. "Fine, get in here dude. But this is the last time, okay?"

Lemonhope nodded silently and eagerly hopped under the sheets next to the princess. He nuzzled his head into her shoulder.

"Princess, I'm afraid," Lemonhope confided.

"Don't worry Lemonhope, it was just a bad dream."

"No, I mean- I'm afraid. Of what I have to do."

This made the princess pause in thought for a moment, unsure of what to say.

"I'm not big and brave like Finn, Princess," Lemonhope continued. "I'm not as old either. I'm too young."

"I know, buddy, I know," the princess replied, running her fingers through the little boy's hair. "You are young. But you're braver than you think. And youth isn't such a bad thing. It means you have more faith."

"P-Princess?" the boy responded.

"Yes Lemonhope?"

"Will you sing me that song you always do? It helps me sleep."

The princess laughed. "Yeah. Sure thing dude."

"_Life, is sweet, In the belly of the beast_

_In the belly of the beast_

_And with her song, in your heart_

_It can never bring you down_

_It can never bring you down_

_Lost, in a maze, Of a thousand rainy days_

_Of a thousand rainy days_

_But when I heard her voice_

_Oh it led me to the end_

_Yes it led me to the end_

'_Cause when she sings_

_I hear a symphony_

_And I'm swallowed in sound_

_As it echoes through me _

_I'm renewed, Oh how I feel alive!_

_Through Autumn's advancing _

_We'll Stay Young, Go Dancing…"_

**~~~So, I'm really proud of this chapter, and I hope it's as much fun to read as it was to write. The song above is "Stay Young, Go Dancing" by Death Cab for Cutie. I own nothing here, yada-yada-blah. Anyways, I'm updating these as quickly as I can, but my schedule is about to me mildly jacked up until Sunday. If I can get the next part out before that I totally will. Please continue to read my stuff and review it! Thanks!~~~**


	4. Chapter 4

_**~~Hey fellas. I've been pretty inactive here for a while. Especially with this story, due a full plate of both creative and real world obligations. (Well, creativity is a part of reality I suppose, but I digress.) Anyway, I'm determined to get the ball rolling on this project again, so here's a thing I whipped up.~~**_

* * *

**Part 4: What's In a Name**

_Diary of Lemongrab II_

_Belly of the Beast_

_Day 45_

_ I have been imprisoned for one month and two weeks now. I have given up on any thoughts of escape, and have grown used to my cramped organic cell. My only consolation is that I can still hear the goings-on of the outside world through these paper-thin and bile-coated prison walls. And through these walls, I hear talk of an uprising. _

_My brother's subjects only discuss such things in the dead of night, when they are certain the tyrant slumbers. They speak of young Lemonhope, a name that has now acquired status among legends. They speak of yours truly, referring to me simply as "Two." I like the way that name sounds, perhaps I shall take it officially. The name "Lemongrab" leaves a bad taste in my mouth these days. Also, I hear a new name being whispered in the dark. Rumor has it, there is a daring lemon out there, the very lemon who initiated the chanting of the masses after Lemonhope's escape. This lemon, bold in flavor, has been organizing a secret insurgence against the psychotic earl. They call this young rebel "Graf." They speak of Graf as a hero, a Robin Hood figure of sorts. However, I have my doubts that this seemingly "unstoppable" vigilante Graf and his gang of ruffians will be capable of toppling my brother's regime..._

It is two in the morning, the skies pitch-black. There is street that is entirely empty, save for a few streetlamps offering a faint and eerie glow that reflects off the windows of the cracked and crooked buildings. The distant sound of lemon guards marching a few blocks away can be heard. Then, through the thick veil of night, out steps a slim figure, medium in height. He lights the cigarette between his teeth, being careful to cover the glow of the match with a gloved hand. He leans against a laundromat building, shoving his hands into the pockets of his gray trenchcoat. After a few moments of stark silence, the man speaks up.

"Come on out, Giallo. I know you're here."

A subtle huff of frustration comes from the alley behind the man, and a short, robust lemon steps out of the pervading darkness. "Curse it, Zerfall," the intruder replies in a deep, smooth voice. "I really thought I'd be able to sneak up on you this time. I've been working on my stealth, just as you suggested."

"Not enough, obviously," Zerfall passively remarks, removing his black fedora. Atop his head is revealed a bit of dirty-blond fuzz, forming a widow's peak. The glow of the streetlamp makes evident a long, thin scar running down Zerfall's left cheek.

"Oh well," the shorter lemon dismisses. "I suppose that's besides the point of this meeting. So tell me, old friend, what is so urgent that you had to summon me at this hour?"

Zerfall remains silent for a short while, focusing on the butt of his cigarette. Eventually, without looking up, he speaks.

"Do you know the meaning of your name, Giallo?"

"Can't say that I do, sir."

Zerfall flicks the cigarette over his shoulder. "I didn't think you would. You see, 'giallo' is a word that comes from an old, dead language, Italian. It means 'yellow.' Now, why do you think the Earl would give you such a name?"

Giallo ponders for a moment. "Perhaps, it is due to the color of my peel?"

Zerfall smirks, showing sharp and crooked teeth. The smile quickly disappears in exchange for a more solemn expression. "That's a reasonable guess, my friend. Alas, you are wrong. You see, before the infamous war of a thousand years' past, there was a name people would give to the weak and cowardly. They would be called, 'yellow.' 'Yellow-bellied' was another expression, emphasizing one's lack of guts. The fact is, Giallo, when the ever-so-clever Earl of Lemongrab christened you with such a name, he was in fact conveying his belief that you are spineless, and therefore no threat to his rule. And you're not the only one, my corpulent companion. We've all been given names that scream of our supposed inferiority. Your cousin, Ausfall. German for Failure. Slabost, the old lemonsmith. A Bosnian word, meaning Weakness. Even your dear late wife, Shagua.'Fool' in Chinese. Do you understand now, my friend?"

A heavy scowl takes form on Giallo's brow, sinking deep under the weight of this new revelation. He grits his teeth, but keeps his general composure in check. "I see," he says, looking down at his bare feet. The cuffs of his pants are tattered and withered. His feet are cut and bruised. A strap on his suspenders is broken, he notices. What a terrible state he is in, he realizes. Come to think of it, just about everyone in the earldom sports a similar appearance of disarray. All at once, Giallo sees just how thoroughly the Earl has degraded his own people. Force upon them names of nothing and clothes of nothing, and they shall soon believe that they are nothing. Giallo's gaze once again meets his friend's.

"Well," the robust lemon says. "What do you suggest we do?"

Zerfall's smile returns. Not merely a smirk this time, but a wide, toothy grin that sticks.

"I thought you'd never ask, old friend," the slender lemon replies, with a tinge of enthusiasm that wasn't there before. "I've been cooking up something big, my brother. You see, I'm putting together an… an alliance, of sorts. A revolution, for all these poor citrus citizens who live in fear of Lemongrab, that damned monster. Hm, that's a good name for it, isn't it? The Citrus Revolution! It's perfect!" A burst of laughter escapes his throat, but is quickly stifled.

Giallo's eyes widen. '_It's risky business, taking on the Earl. Even with a militia, it's a virtually impossible task,'_ he tells himself. '_But what's the alternative? Continuing to live in this unending fear? And what should I be afraid of? Shagua, my only love, is dead. I have no family to speak of. I'm a lemon with nothing to lose, except for a life I don't want anyway. How can I turn this down?'_

"I want in," Giallo answers sternly. "I'm tired of doing nothing. Please, let me help you."

Zerfall's grin widens impossibly further. "I admire your courage, old friend. And of course I accept you amongst our ranks. However, there is one matter to attend to before you join us. Those who partake in the glory of revolution must not bear names that symbolize weakness. It is the responsibility of any lemon dedicated to change to choose a new title for themselves. Even young Lemonhope was once known as little Bad-Lemon No-Hope. _Schlecht Zitrone Seine Hoffnung_, as his certificate of birth reads. Funny. It would seem that he candy princess's fondness of the German language was passed on to her creation."

Giallo stood pondering for a moment. "Hm. Well, you said my current name is Italian. Tell me, what is the Italian word for Strength?"

"Forza."

"Then that is my name," the short lemon proclaims. _Forza. That has a nice sound to it, _he thinks silently.

Zerfall places his his hat back on his head and tips it to his new ally. "It's an honor to have you with us, brother Forza. Go to the old abandoned lemon candy dispensary tomorrow night, four hours after the public curfew. We'll discuss our next phases of action with the others." And with that, the tall lemon simply turned around and began walking.

"Wait! Zerfall!" Giallo/Forza objects. "You said that all of us have taken new names. What about you? What do you call yourself these days?"

The slender lemon looks over his shoulder, giving a sly smirk.

"My dear friend, you may call me Graf."

"Graf? What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

The tall figure chuckled as his silhouette faded into the darkness.

"Don't worry, brother. You'll find out soon."


End file.
